Palestinian nationalism: from secularism to Islam

Abstract

The objective of this essay is to critically analyze the modern developments of Palestinian nationalism. The essay is divided into three parts. The first part analyzes the concept of nationalism and its implications for Palestinian nationalism looking into the theoretical approaches when analyzing nationalism and their relevance when analyzing Palestinian nationalism. The second part searches for the reasons of the emergence of Palestinian nationalism in the Occupied Territories and in the countries that host large numbers of Palestinian refugees. The third part looks into the relationship between Palestinian nationalism and Islam. Furthermore, the third part analyses the relationship between land, nationalism and Islam and examines the rise of Hamas and its role in the development of Palestinian nationalism. This essay concludes that secular Palestinian nationalism was just a stage in the development of Palestinian national identity and it can not succeed in the contemporary political situation of the region. The political circumstances transformed the Palestinian nationalism into a Palestinian Islamic nationalism in order to fight for the independence of Palestine.